Cleaning article having multi-layer gather strip element

ABSTRACT

A cleaning article. The cleaning article has a laminate construction. The cleaning article comprises a sheet and a hydrophilic gather strip element joined together at an elongate bond. The gather strip element has plural layers folded upon one another, providing strips extending outwardly from the bond. The folded layers provide a construction which allows the strips to advantageously present a dynamically changing area to the target surface during cleaning, under normal usage conditions. By changing the surface area, more liquids, and associated debris, can be cleaned from the target surface.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to cleaning articles, more particularly tocleaning articles for absorbing cleaning fluid from a target surface.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Various cleaning articles have been created for dusting and lightcleaning. For example, cloth rags and paper towels used dry or wettedwith polishing and cleaning compositions have been used on relativelyflat surfaces such as countertops, showers, sinks and floors. But, ragsand paper towels are problematic for reasons such as hygiene (the user'shand may touch chemicals, dirt or the surface during cleaning), reach(it may be difficult to insert the user's hand with the rag or papertowel into hard-to-reach places) and inconvenience (cleaning betweenclosely-spaced articles typically requires moving the articles).

To overcome the problems associated with using rags and paper towels,various reusable dust gathering devices using felt and hair have beenutilized for more than a century, as illustrated by U.S. Pat. No.823,725 issued in 1906 to Hayden and using yarns as illustrated in U.S.Pat. No. 4,145,787. To address the problems with reusable dust gatheringdevices, disposable cleaning articles have been developed which havelimited re-usability. These disposable cleaning articles may includebrush portions made of synthetic fiber bundles, called tow fibers,attached to a sheet as shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,813,801; 7,003,856;7,566,671; 7,779,502; 7,937,797; 8,146,197; 8,151,402; 8,161,594,8,186,001; 8,245,349; 8,528,151; 8,756,746 and 8,763,197.

Disposable dusters may provide for wet cleaning as disclosed in U.S.Pat. No. 7,566,671 and commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 7,803,726 andcommonly assigned US 2008/0028560. But tow fibers may become matted whenwet and not be suitable for cleaning a large or heavily wetted surface,such as a floor. Thus, dusters may not suitable for cleaning extremelylarge or heavily soiled surfaces.

To overcome the problem of large and/or heavily wetted surfaces, mopswhich are repeatedly dunked into a bucket of liquid have been used. Butthese mops become saturated and can redeposit large amounts of dirtyliquid onto the floor. Accordingly, disposable floor sheets have beendeveloped. These floor sheets may contain large amounts of absorbentcellulose, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,191,486 and 7,721,381, andmay include at least two interior sheets as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No.9,032,577. Floor sheets may contain AGM to further assist in liquidabsorption and retention, as disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. Pat.Nos. 5,960,508; 6,003,191; 6,048,123 and 6,766,552. But if insolublesoils are not removed from the floor, or if soluble soils areinadequately absorbed by the floor sheet, streaking and/or filming mayoccur.

One attempt to clean overcome this problem is found in microfibercleaning pads. Microfiber pads may be nylon and are intended to bewashed and reused. But, as discussed below, microfiber pads may damagethe floor and still leave filming/streaking.

This problem is exacerbated by some of the newer floor materials. Forexample, certain new flooring materials are relatively dark in color.Newer flooring materials may have relatively high gloss levels, and/orbe difficult to wet during cleaning, due to surface energy. Theseproperties may highlight filming/streaking which is left on the floorafter wet cleaning, even if damage to the floor does not occur.

Yet other attempts to make cleaning pads incorporate both hydrophobicand hydrophilic properties, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,694,379 andcommonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 7,480,956. Another attempt includes freefloating cuffs, as disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No.7,028,364. Other relevant attempts in the art include US 2003/0300991;2011/0041274; U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,245,413; 6,681,434; 6,701,567; 7,458,128;7,624,468; 8,341,797; 8,707,505 and 8,863,347.

While these attempts are directed to absorption of liquids from a wettedtarget surface, particularly a floor, problems remain. A generally flatfloor sheet presents the same surface to throughout the cleaning task.Dirt can be re-deposited if the floor sheet is saturated. And agenerally flat floor sheet may not adequately clean into floor crevicesor grout lines. Damage to the floor may occur if a reusable microfiberfloor pad is used.

Thus, there is a need for a disposable, generally planar cleaningarticle, usable on wetted surface and which presents dynamicallychanging surface throughout the cleaning task.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention comprises a cleaning article having a laminateconstruction. The cleaning article comprises a sheet and a hydrophilicgather strip element joined together at an elongate bond. The gatherstrip element comprises plural superimposed layers folded upon oneanother. A plurality of the layers have strips extending outwardly fromthe bond

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a cleaning article accordingto the present invention.

FIG. 2A is to scale and is a vertical sectional view taken along lines2-2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 2B is a vertical sectional view of an alternative embodimentcleaning article having an inverted pyramidal geometry.

FIG. 3 is a broken bottom plan view of an alternative embodiment havinga non-straight central bond line and inverted pyramidal geometry, withthe upper portion having a sinusoidal bond and the lower portion havingspot bonds.

FIG. 4A is a bottom plan view of an alternative embodiment having twocentral bond lines.

FIG. 4B is a vertical sectional view taken along line 4B-4B of FIG. 4A.

FIGS. 5A-5G are to scale and are vertical sectional views of alternativeembodiments of gather strip elements, each having two sheets ofmaterial.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a handle usable with the presentinvention.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a floor cleaning implement usable withthe present invention.

FIG. 8 is a graphical representation of the streaking and filmingperformance of a commercially available floor sheet and a sampleaccording to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to FIG. 1, the cleaning article 10 may be generally elongate,and rectangular, although other shapes are contemplated and feasible.The cleaning article 10 may comprise two or more components joined in alaminate form to provide cleaning article 10 suitable for floorcleaning. The cleaning article may have a sheet 12, which forms a framefor attachment of other components thereto. The cleaning article 10 mayalso have a gather strip element 25, having plural layers 27 of stacked,outwardly extending, flexible strips 17. An absorbent core may bedisposed between the gather strip element 25 and the sheet 12.

The cleaning article 10 may be disposable. By disposable it is meantthat the cleaning article 10 is used for one cleaning task, or generallynot more than several square meters, then discarded. In contrast, areusable cleaning article 10 is laundered or otherwise restored afteruse.

The cleaning article 10 has at least two, more preferably at leastthree, four or more laminae joined/folded in laminate form the cleaningarticle 10. The sheet 12 may also provide for attachment to a floorcleaning implement as described below. As used herein, unless otherwisespecified, being joined includes a direct and contacting relationshipbetween two components and a relationship having an intermediatecomponent therebetween.

The cleaning article 10 may have a longitudinal axis LA and a transverseaxis TA orthogonal thereto. The cleaning article 10, and respectivecomponents thereof, may have two longitudinal edges 20 parallel to thelongitudinal axis LA and two transverse edges 22 parallel to thetransverse axis TA.

As discussed below the strips 17 may be advantageously substantially, orpreferably entirely, contained within the footprint of the sheet 12.Particularly, the distal ends of the strips 17 may be contained withinand bounded by the footprint defined by the two longitudinal edges 20and two transverse edges 22 of the sheet 12. This arrangement isbelieved to promote mobility of the strips 17 in use, and present adynamic surface area of the cleaning article 10 to the target surface inuse, due to the direct pressure the strip 17 encounter when the userpresses a cleaning implement against a floor.

The length of the cleaning article 10 is taken in the longitudinaldirection. The width of the cleaning article 10 corresponds to thetransverse direction perpendicular to the length direction and disposedwithin the plane of the sheet 12. The thickness is defined as thedimension in the z-direction. The XY plane is defined as the planedefined by the cleaning article 10. The Z-direction of the cleaningarticle 10 is the direction perpendicular to the plane of the sheet. Thecleaning article 10 may have a length from 20 to 50 cm and a width of 10to 20 cm. The cleaning article may particularly be 30 +/−2 cm long by 14+/−2 cm wide, as measured at the greatest dimensions, in order to fitthe head of a typical cleaning implement 70, as discussed below. Theoptional core may particularly have a width of 6.5 +/−2 cm and a lengthof 26 +/−2 cm. Of course, one of skill will recognize that other shapesare feasible and within the scope of the present invention.

The cleaning article 10 may have an outwardly facing cleaning side andan attachment side opposed thereto. The attachment side of the cleaningarticle 10 may have one or more attachment stripes 30 for attachment tothe head of an implement, two parallel stripes 30 being illustrated forexample. The stripes 30 may comprise loop material suitable forcomplementary attachment to a head of a cleaning implement having hooks.

The cleaning article 10 may be thought of as having one lamina or havingtwo, three or more laminae joined in face-to-face relationship. Thelaminae may be refolded in serpentine fashion to provide a plurality oflaminae in the Z-direction.

More particularly, the cleaning article may comprise a construction ofat least one sheet 12 and at least one gather strip element 25. Thesheet 12 and gather strip element 25 are joined in face-to-facerelationship with at least one permanent bond to form a laminate.

The sheet 12 may serve as a chassis for attachment of the gather stripelement 25 thereto. Other laminae and features may be interposed betweenthe sheet 12 and gather strip element 25, without departure from theinvention.

The sheet 12 may particularly comprise a synthetic nonwoven sheet 12. Asheet 12 having synthetic fibers provides for convenient joining of thegather strip element 25 thereto. Nonwovens include spun bonded, cardedand airlaid materials, as are known in the art and made from syntheticfibers. A suitable nonwoven sheet may be made according to commonlyassigned U.S. Pat. No. 6,797,357.

Preferably the sheet 12 comprises cellulose, to provide absorptivecapacity. A cellulosic sheet 12 may have permanent wet strength resinadded thereto, as is known in the art. Or the sheet 12 may preferablycomprise a mixture of cellulosic and synthetic fibers, to provide bothabsorptive and barrier properties, and for convenient joining of thegather strip element 25. By cellulosic it is meant that the componentcomprises a predominant weight percentage of cellulosic fibers.

The sheet 12 and/or gather strip element 25 may be hydrophilic, toadvantageously absorb water from the surface being cleaned. Byhydrophilic it is generally meant that the component will absorb waterin use and retain such water in ordinary use without the application ofexcessive compressive force.

Particularly hydrophilic vs hydrophobic properties may be measured asfollows. A 1 gram sample of material, is oven dried at about 110° C. for12 hours, then conditioning at 65% relative humidity/21° C. for fivedays. The sample is then re-dried at 110° C. for 12 hours The amount ofmoisture gained is measured as a percentage of moisture regained:moisture regained=[(total conditioned sample weight at 65% RH−sampleweight after drying)÷dried sample weight]×100%.

As used herein, hydrophilic material has a moisture regain at 65%greater than about 2%, 3%, 4%, 5% and preferably greater than about 6%.Table 1 below shows comparisons of different fiber types for % moistureregain at equilibrium in 65% RH.

TABLE 1 Moisture Regain (Percentage) Hydrophilic Fibers HydrophobicFibers Cellulose Rayon Cotton Acetate Tri-acetate Polyester AcrylicPolyethylene Polypropylene 12-15 11-13 7-8 6.0-6.5 4.0-4.5 0.4 1.5-2.0<0.1 <0.1

While hydrophilic materials may be useful for the invention describedherein, such materials may not have sufficient strength for use in evena disposable cleaning article 10. Thus, the selection of propermaterials is important.

For example, if the gather strips 17 are 100% cellulose a wetco-efficient of friction may be so great it is difficult for a user tomove cleaning article 10 across a particular target surface. Byintermixing different materials surface area for soil collection can bemaintained while the wet coefficient of friction is optimized Likewise,using gather strips 17 of varying lengths, even with the same material,can increase cleaning surface area without unduly increasing wetcoefficient of friction, providing for ease of movement across thetarget surface.

Referring to FIGS. 2A and 2B, the sheet 12 may comprise a laminate oftwo, three or more plies. The laminate may particularly comprise threeplies, an outwardly facing ply 12A for contact with a cleaningimplement, a central ply/core 12B for absorption and an inwardly facingply 12C for joining to the gather strip element 25.

The outwardly facing ply 12A may comprise a hydroentangled spunbondnonwoven with a basis weight of 20 to 80 gsm. A 45 gsm nonwoven fromAvgol Nonwovens of Tel-Aviv, Israel has been found suitable. As usedherein a nonwoven is a component having a mixture of airlaid and/orwetlaid fibers not woven together.

The central ply/core 12B may serve as a storage reservoir, to absorb andretain liquids collected from the target surface by the gather stripelement 25. The central ply/core 12B may comprise a bicomponentcellulose/synthetic airlaid. A 135 gsm airlaid comprising 85:15cellulose:bicomponent fibers available from Suominen of Helsinki,Finland is suitable.

The central ply/core 12B may further comprise absorbent gellingmaterials [AGM], as are known in the art. The AGM may increase retentionof absorbed liquid and provide for increased capacity of the cleaningarticle 10. The cleaning article 10 may be free of foam, to conservecosts.

The inwardly facing ply 12C may comprise a mixture of wet laid fibersformed into a tissue which is bonded onto a synthetic nonwoven usingprocess such as spun lace or hydroentangling. The inwardly facing ply12C may comprise 23 gsm tissue with a 17 gsm polypropylene spunbond as acomposite, sold under the name Genesis tissue by Suominen of Helsinki,Finland. If desired, a dedicated core 12B may be incorporated into thecleaning article 10. The dedicated core 12B may be between any of theplies 12A, 12C of sheet 12 or disposed on the inwardly or outwardlyoriented face of sheet 12. The core 12B may particularly comprise thecentral ply. The core 12B and/or additional/alternative central ply maybe narrower than the outwardly facing ply 12A and inwardly facing ply12C. The core 12B and/or central ply may be about half of the width ofthe outwardly facing ply 12A and inwardly facing ply 12C, and centeredon the longitudinal axis. Particularly the width of the core 12B and/orcentral ply may be less than or equivalent to the spacing between thestripes 30 of attachment material.

The width of the core 12B and/or sheet 12 and gather strip element 25 ismeasured as follows. The cleaning article 10 is placed on a flat,horizontal surface. Wrinkles and other disruptions to general planarityare smoothed out. The cleaning article is held taut by fingertips. ASteel Rule, Slide Calipers or Toolmakers' Grade Square, as are commonlyavailable from L.S. Starrett Co. of Athol, Mass. is used to measure thewidth between opposed ends of the gather strips 17 and the core 12B.Outwardly facing plies 12A, 12C and layers 27 may be removed, asnecessary, to provide unobstructed access for the measurements.

The width of the core 12B is measured in the transverse direction,parallel to the transverse axis. If the core 12B has variable width, thewidth is measured at the narrowest point. The width of the gather stripelement 25 is also measured in the transverse direction. The width ofthe gather strip element 25 is measured between the distal ends ofopposed gather strips 17 oppositely disposed across the longitudinalaxis and lying in the XY plane. If the gather strip element 25, andparticularly the opposed ends of the gather strips 17 has variablewidth, the width is measured at the widest point. A difference in widthof at least 4, 6, 8, 10, 12 or 14 cm, equally divided across thelongitudinal axis, is believed suitable for the embodiment describedherein.

The difference in width between the opposed gather strips 17 and thecore 12B is believed to promote stability of the core 12B and/or centralply 12B, for retaining liquids transferred from the gather strip element25. Furthermore, this geometry is believed to assist in draining thegather strips 17 of absorbed liquid. Further, this geometry provides agap, which is believed to promote movement of the gather strips 17,presenting different portions thereof to the target surface in responseto user movement of the cleaning article 10 during ordinary use.

The three plies 12A, 12B and 12C may be permanently joined togetherusing adhesive and/or thermal bonds as are known in the art to formsheet 12. Optional attachment stripes 30 of loop material may be joinedto the outwardly facing surface of outwardly ply 12A to removably jointhe cleaning article 10 to a handle 60 or implement. The stripes 30 maybe continuous or discontinuous.

Referring to FIG. 3, the cleaning article 10 may further comprisehydrophilic gather strips 17 disposed in a gather strip element 25. Asused herein, gather strips 17 refer to cantilevered strips extendingoutwardly from proximal ends to respective distal ends. The individualgather strips 17 may have a proximal end at or offset from thelongitudinal centerline of the article 10, and having a length (taken inthe transverse direction) greater than the corresponding width (as takenin the longitudinal direction), to provide an aspect ratio of at least 1and optionally 2 to 20, and optionally 5 to 15. The gather strips 17 mayhave a length, taken from a respective proximal end juxtaposed with abond 38 to a respective distal end, which may be juxtaposed with atransverse edge of the cleaning article, of 3 to 15, 4 to 12 orparticularly 5 to 8 cm, and a width of 3 to 20, 4 to 15 or particularly6 to 8 mm. These particular dimensions have been found suitable for usein floor cleaning, when using a cleaning implement.

The gather strips lie within the XY plane as intended by manufacture,although may be deformed out of the XY plane due to fluffing before use,and/or deformations which occur in use due to movement against thetarget surface. The gather strips 17 may be incorporated into one of thesheets 12 described herein or may be deployed on a separate sheet 12.The gather strips 17 may extend parallel to the width direction of thearticle, or may be disposed in acute angular relationship thereto. Thegather strips 17 may be straight, as shown, curved, serpentine or of anydesired shape.

The gather strip element 25 may comprise the same materials as describedabove for inwardly facing ply 12C, and particularly be hydrophilic, andmore particularly cellulose. The gather strip element 25 and/or thesheet 12 may alternatively or additionally comprise microfiber, as isknown in the art.

Referring back to FIGS. 2A and 2B, the gather strip element 25 maycomprise one or more plies folded back on itself in serpentine fashion.This arrangement provides at least a double, triple or greaterthickness. When the layer 27 is cut into generally transversely orientedindividual gather strips, the double thickness provides a loop at thedistal end of a respective strip 17. The loop is believed to beadvantageous, as it helps to space apart strips 17 overlaid in theZ-direction.

The folded configuration may be accomplished with a c-fold as shownthroughout the figures. One of skill will recognize that c-folds may becascaded to provide a z-fold, w-fold or other plural layer folds as areknown in the art and which encompass a c-fold.

The gather strip element 25 may comprise from 2 to 25, 5 to 20, andparticularly about 10 layers 27 of gather strips 17, depending upon thedesired absorbent capacity and texture of the intended target surface.The gather strips 17 disposed on each edge, particularly thelongitudinal edges may advantageously comprise loops at the distal endsand a free end having a single thickness at the distal ends of thegather strips 17 to provide differential response during cleaning andprophetically reach and retain more debris during cleaning.

Particularly, the differential response of the gather strips is believedto present a dynamically changing surface area to the target surfaceduring cleaning, under normal usage conditions. By changing the surfacearea, more liquids, and associated debris, can be cleaned from thetarget surface.

A non-limiting gather strip element 25 having three separate gatherstrip materials is shown. The upper sheet, closer to the sheet 12, isfolded upon itself to provide four gather strip layers 27. The two lowergather strip 17 layers 27 are z-folded upon themselves to each providethree gather strip layers 27.

The sheet 12 and gather strip element 25 may be joined by a plurality ofbonds 38, as set forth below. The bonds 38 may be thermal, adhesive orultrasonic, etc. as are known in the art.

A central bond 38 may join all layers 27/laminae of the cleaning article10, to ensure a unitary construction and prevent loss of individualcomponents in use. The central bond 38 may be common to all layers 27 ofthe gather strip element 25, and directly or indirectly join each layer27 of the gather strip element 25 to the sheet 12.

Two outboard bonds 38 may be provided and join only layers 27 of thegather strip element 25 proximate to the sheet 12. For the embodimentdescribed herein the outboard bonds 38 may be transversely spaced atleast about 7 cm apart on centers, so that the outboard bonds are spacedoutwardly of and do not overly the core 12B. The outboard bonds 38, orthe central bond 38, may be considered secondary bonds 38 if such bondsonly join a portion of the layers 27 of the gather strip element 25 tothe sheet 12, directly or indirectly.

Typically, all layers 27 of the gather strip element 25 are joined tothe sheet 12 by at least one bond 38. The layer 27 closest to the sheet12 may be considered the first layer 27. Succeeding layers 27 areconsidered relatively proximate to the sheet 12 and may be consideredthe second layer 27, third layer 27, fourth layer 27, etc. in turn.Layers 27 further from the sheet 12 and closest to or contacting thefloor are considered distal layers 27.

The bonds 38 may be longitudinally coextensive with or slightly shorterthan the sheet 12. In a less preferred embodiment, the outboard bondsmay join only the portions of the gather strip element 25 which areremote from and not proximate to the sheet 12.

This arrangement provides relatively longer gather strips 17 on thetarget surface and shorter gather strips inward thereof. It is believedthat having different lengths of gather strips improves the cleaningefficacy by allowing the gather strips 17 to move independently of eachother and create separation therebetween. Such separation between gatherstrips 17, and particularly presenting gather strips 17 in superimposedlayers, is believed important in providing sufficient area to surfacebeing cleaned, for soil to be both efficaciously picked up and retainedby the cleaning article 10. Thus the layers 27 may be made with a singlefold, plural folds, or by simple superposition with no folds.

Referring back to FIG. 3, the gather strip element 25 may be joined tothe sheet using a sinusoidally shaped bond 38, zig-zag bond 38, all ofwhich are collectively referred to as a serpentine bond 38 or othernon-straight bond 38. This bond 38 pattern provides both relativelylonger and relatively shorter individual gather strips 17. Also, thegather strips 17 each have a respective proximal end which is notparallel to the longitudinal axis. This geometry provides a proximal endwhich is believed to promote twisting and disruption of the gather stripduring cleaning.

Alternatively the central bond 38 may comprise an array of discretebonds 38, as disclosed in commonly assigned EP Application Serial No.15162895.5, P&G Docket No. 13742F. Discrete bonds 38 are propheticallybelieved to promote the dynamically changing presentation of the gatherstrip element 25 to the target surface during ordinary use.

The differential length gather strips 17 are believed to presentdifferent strips 17 and/or portions thereof to the target surface inuse. The irregular proximal ends of the gather strips 17 are alsobelieved to present different strips 17, or portion thereof, to thetarget surface in use.

Generally, by presenting different gather strips 17 and/or differentportions of gather strips 17, to the target surface in use, it isbelieved that saturated portions of the cleaning article 10 do notremain in contact with the target surface. Different portions of thegather strip element 25 are presented in use, minimizing re-depositionand allowing unsaturated portions of the gather strip element 25 tocontact, absorb and retain liquid from the target surface. Bydynamically changing the effective portions of the gather strip element25 which contact the target surface, improved cleaning is believed tooccur. Significantly, the dynamically changing effective portions of thegather strip element 25 occurs automatically and without userintervention, other than the normal back and forth strokes which arepart of normal cleaning.

Preferably the cleaning article is free of tow fibers. Tow fibers, tendto matt and clump when wetted, decreasing cleaning efficacy. But in aless preferred embodiment, the cleaning article may further comprise oneor more laminae of tow fibers. The tow fiber lamina may be joined to thesheet 12 or gather strip element 25 in face-to-face relationship. Thetow fiber lamina may be suitable for and disposed for directlycontacting the target surface during cleaning. Alternatively, the towfiber lamina may be disposed between the sheet 12 and gather stripelement 25.

The tow fibers may be synthetic. As used herein “bundle fibers” and/or“tow” refer to fibers comprising synthetic polymers including polyester,polypropylene, polyethylene, bio-derived polymers such as polylacticacid, bio-polyethylene, bio-polyester and the like. Tow fibers alsoinclude fibers from natural sources such as cellulose, celluloseacetate, flax, hemp, jute and mixtures thereof manufactured wherein theindividual fibers are relatively long strands manufactured in bundles.The bundle fibers may be defined as any fibers having distinct endpoints and at least about 1 cm in length. The tow fibers may extendcontinuously and in a substantially transverse direction, between thetransverse edges of the article 10.

The sheet(s) 12, gather strip element 25 and optional and tow fiberlayer(s) may be joined by a plurality of permanent bonds 38. The bonds38 are intended to minimize or prevent stray or dislodged tow fibersfrom becoming loose. Such sheet(s) 12, gather strip element 25 and towfiber layer(s) may typically be directly superimposed on one another,with or without intervening members or components therebetween.

The bond(s) 38 may be formed by adhesive bonding, thermal bonding,ultrasonic bonding, etc. In thermal bonding and ultrasonic bonding,energy and compressive pressure are applied to local bond 38 sites. Thesynthetic sheet 12 and synthetic tow fibers are melted at such localsites. Upon refreezing, the local materials of sheet 12 and tow fibersare refreeze together at such local sites, forming localized welds whichare the bonds 38.

If desired, the sheet 12 may be covered by an outwardly facing liquidimpermeable barrier. The barrier prevents absorbed liquids fromcontacting the user's hand, implement, etc. A suitable barrier includesLDPE film as is known in the art.

Referring to FIG. 2B, the gather strip element 25 may comprise aserpentine folded member with the width decreasing as the distal edge ofthe gather strip element 25 is approached. This geometry provides aninverted pyramidal construction, in use. Such a construction of thegather strip element 25 may provide for plural layers 27 of the gatherstrip element 25 having plural widths. The widths may decrease from thefirst layer 27 to the distal layers 27 and may particularlymonotonically decrease in width from the first layer 27 to the distallayers 27. The inverted pyramidal construction is prophetically believedto advantageously present more edges to the target surface duringcleaning.

Referring to FIGS. 4A-4B, the cleaning article may be free of a commonbond 38 which joins all layers 27 of the gather strip element 25 to thesheet 12. Instead, a first bond 38 may join one or more proximal layers27 to the sheet 12. A second bond 38 may join one or more distal layers27 to the proximal layers 27, without joining the distal layers 27directly to the sheet. This arrangement prophetically provides thebenefit that if the cleaning article 10 is particularly thick in thez-direction, a bond 38 through all components thereof is avoided.

Any of the sheet 12, gather strip element 25 and/or optional layer oftow fibers may optionally be completely or partially coated withadhesive, wax, Newtonian or non-Newtonian oils or a combination thereof,in order to improve cleaning and increase retention of absorbed debris.If desired, the cleaning article 10 may optionally be used with acleaning solution or other solution usable for other purposes such astreating the surface for appearance or disinfectant, etc. The cleaningsolution may be pre-applied to the cleaning article 10, creating apre-moistened cleaning article 10 or may be contained within a separatereservoir for dosing onto the cleaning article 10 and/or target surface.The cleaning solution may comprise a majority water, and at least about0.5, 2, 5 or 10 weight % solids, or at least about 30 or 50 weight %aqueous solvents, non-aqueous solutions or mixtures thereof.

Referring to FIGS. 5A-5G, various alternative gather strip elements 25are shown. While each gather strip element 25 is show to have two layers25, one of skill will recognize the invention is not so limited. Thegather strip element 25 may have one, two, three or more layers 27, withthe bonds 38 as illustrated, or with different bonds 38. One of skillwill also recognize that that various combinations and hybrids of theseembodiments may be combined, as desired, into a single cleaning article10.

Referring to FIG. 5A, the gather strip element 25 may comprise twosheets of material, each sheet having an open c-fold. This arrangementis prophetically believed to advantageously provide a generallysymmetrically opposite geometry, which aids in cleaning with a commonback and forth motion, and provides a cleaning article 10 of generallyequal thickness.

Referring to FIG. 5B, the gather strip element 25 may comprise twosheets of material, each sheet having a z-fold with shortened outerlegs. This arrangement is prophetically believed to advantageouslyprovide a generally symmetrically opposite geometry. Each longitudinaledge of the cleaning article 10 has two c-fold which provide a loopgather strip 17 and two free ends of gather strips 17. This arrangement,providing both free ends and loop ends of the gather strips 17 andgenerally constant thickness, is believed to aid in cleaning with acommon back and forth motion.

Referring to FIG. 5C, the gather strip element 25 may comprise twosheets of material, each sheet having a c-fold oriented in oppositedirections. This arrangement is prophetically believed to advantageouslyprovide a generally symmetrically opposite geometry. Each longitudinaledge of the cleaning article 10 has a c-fold which provides a loopgather strip 17 and two free ends of gather strips 17. This arrangement,providing both free ends and loop ends of the gather strips 17, isbelieved to aid in cleaning with a common back and forth motion.

Referring to FIG. 5D, the gather strip element 25 may comprise twosheets of material, each sheet having a c-fold oriented in the samedirections. This arrangement is prophetically believed to advantageouslyprovide loop gather strips 17 on one longitudinal edge and and free endsof gather strips 17 on the other longitudinal edge. This arrangementproviding different types of gather strips 17 suitable for differentcleaning task.

Referring to FIG. 5E, the gather strip element 25 may comprise twosheets of material, each sheet having a z-fold with shortened outer legsand arranged to provide a W-fold. This arrangement is propheticallybelieved to advantageously provide two outwardly facing loop gatherstrips on each longitudinal edge of the cleaning article 10.

Referring to FIG. 5F, the gather strip element 25 may comprise twosheets of interfolded material. This arrangement is propheticallybelieved to advantageously provide a generally symmetrically oppositegeometry. Each longitudinal edge of the cleaning article 10 has a c-foldwhich provides a loop gather strip 17 and single free end of gatherstrips 17 with a thicker central region. Having a thicker centralregion, is prophetically believed having gather strips 17 which move andpresent different surface areas to the floor in use.

Referring to FIG. 5G the gather strip element 25 may comprise two ormore independent, serpentine layers 27. Each gather strip element 25 maybe joined to the sheet 12 by a dedicated bond 38. Each such gather stripelement 25 may, in turn, have two outwardly extending banks of gatherstrips 17. The arrangement provides the benefit that additional gatherstrips 17 are available and inwardly oriented gather strips 17 mayintertwine during use. It is prophetically believed that havingdifferent gather strips 17 with different functionalities and increasesthe amount of dynamic surface area presented to the floor in use. Ofcourse, one of skill will recognize combinations and hybrids of theforegoing alternatives are feasible and contemplated herein. Forexample, a cleaning article 10 may have two more lines of bonds 38. Onesuch line of bonds 38 may be straight or all lines of bonds 38 may benon-straight. If three lines of bonds 38 are used, for example, thelines of bonds 38 may be symmetrically opposite and serpentine while thecentral line of bonds 38 is straight. Or a single gather strip element25 may be joined to the sheet by plural lines of bonds.

Referring to FIG. 6, the cleaning article 10 may be removably attachableto a handle 60. Particularly, an attachment system may provide forremovable attachment of the cleaning article 10 to a suitable andoptional handle 60. The cleaning article 10 attachment system andoptional complementary handle 60 attachment may comprise adhesivejoining, cohesive joining, mechanical engagement through sleeves, etc.One common attachment system comprises sleeves into which the tine[s] ofthe handle 60 may be inserted. Suitable handles 60 are disclosed incommonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 8,578,564 and D674,949 S.

Referring to FIG. 7, the cleaning article 10 may be removably attachableto an implement 70. Particularly, a floor cleaning implement 70 mayallow for cleaning of the floor while the user is upright, and may alsoprovide for spraying of cleaning solution or other liquid to the floor.A typical floor cleaning implement 70 has a handle 72 for grasping bythe user and a head 74 attached thereto, and preferably pivotallyattached thereto. The head 74 moves against the floor, or other targetsurface. The cleaning implement 70 may be removably attached to thebottom of the head. Preferably the strips 17 are bounded by thefootprint of the head 74 in use, promoting dynamic movement of thestrips 17 during cleaning.

Removable attachment of the cleaning article 10 to the implement 70 maybe accomplished using adhesive, hook and loop systems, and grippers.Grippers and a suitable cleaning implement 70 are disclosed in commonlyassigned U.S. Pat. No. 6,484,356. A suitable vacuum implement 70 isdisclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,137,169. Suitable spray implements 70 aredisclosed in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,888,006; 5,988,920;6,842,936; 7,182,537; 7,536,743; 7,676,877 and 8,186,898.

The cleaning article 10 may also be used manually, without a handle 60or implement 70. If desired, various cleaning articles 10 describedherein may be packaged and sold in a kit. This arrangement provides thebenefit that the user has a choice of different cleaning articles 10 fordifferent tasks. For example, if desired, plural sizes of the cleaningarticles 10 may be sold together as a single kit. This arrangementallows the user to select the particular cleaning article 10 best suitedfor the immediate task.

The cleaning article 10 of the present invention is believed to addressthe unmet need for cleaning modern wood/laminates. A particular cleaningarticle 10 is constructed with 10 layers 27 of strips 17. Each strip 17is about 7 mm in width. All 10 layers 27 are joined at a central bond38. The four layers 27 adjacent and closest to sheet 12 are also joinedthereto with additional bonds 38, disposed transversely outboard of thecentral bond 38. The cleaning article 10 according to the presentinvention, described above, and two commercially available controlsamples were tested. The first control sample was a WetJet floor sheet,marketed by the instant assignee. This sample contained AGM and isgenerally considered disposable. The second control sample was amicrofiber floor sheet marketed by Bona and is generally consideredre-usable for multiple cleaning tasks. It is believed these two samplesrepresented a broad spectrum of disposable and reusable floor sheets.

The tests were conducted on a 6 mm thick transparent polycarbonateplexi-glass surface disposed on matte black card stock. For each sampletested, the gloss of this surface was measured using a BYK-Gardner glossmeter.

A BYK-Gardner™ ‘Scrub’ Abrasion Tester scrubbing machine was used forconsistency between samples. After an initial gloss measurement, thesurface was treated with 2 mls of a common cleaning solution, marketedunder Swiffer brand as WetJet liquid and generally equally sprayed overthe test surface. A weight of 200 grams was placed on each sample. Eachsample was cycled back and forth 50 times. The tested surface was thenallowed to air dry. The surface was tested for final gloss, and therespective readings subtracted.

No soil was used for this test. Thus, a change in gloss representssurface damage caused by the respective samples.

Four replicates were tested for each sample. Each replicate was testedon three different locations of the test surface, to determine theeffect on gloss. The results are shown in Table 2. Thus, each entry forchange in gloss represents an average of 12 data points. Relativesurface area of the samples was also determined.

TABLE 2 Initial Gloss Final Gloss Average/ Average/ Change in Std devStd dev gloss Normalized (unitless) (unitless) (unitless) Surface AreaControl 1 125.5/0.45 121.1/0.95 −4.4 1 WetJet commercially availablefloor sheet code 41764787420320 Control 2 125.5/0.45 118.4/0.73 −7.1 3.3Bona Microfiber commercially available floor sheet Item #AX0003053Invention 125.5/0.45 125.0/0.45 −0.5 10

The data in Table 2 show that Bona micro-fiber samples disadvantageouslycause significant decline in gloss when tested as described above. TheWetJet sample causes a smaller loss in gloss than the Bona microfibersample. The loss in gloss indicates surface damage can occur by ordinarycleaning on an unsoiled test surface. Without being bound by theory itis believed the greater surface damage from the microfiber sample may bedue containing relatively abrasive materials, such as nylon.

Surprisingly, the invention samples show minimal loss in gloss, having adifference almost within the standard deviation. Without being bound bytheory it is believed the lesser surface damage from the microfibersample may be due the benefits of having mobile strips 17, which presenta dynamic surface area to the target surface in use.

The above test was repeated using 0.77 square meters of RN 104577 SantosMahogany engineered hardwood plank laminate wood flooring distributed byHome Legend of Fontana, Calif. This flooring was spiked with soilcontaining about 2% Ultra Fine Dust (clay soil sold by PTI soils)suspended in a water/alcohol solution. About 2 mls of this solution wasapplied to the test surface using a paint roller and allowed to air dry.The soil was then re-wetted with 2 mls of cleaning solution. Each samplewas then cycled back and forth 25 times on this flooring. The resultinggloss differential between samples is shown in Table 3 below.

TABLE 3 Soiled Initial Gloss Final Gloss Change in Surface DamageAverage/Std dev Average/Std dev gloss Testing (unitless) (unitless)(unitless) Control 1 90.7/0.4 85.6/0.95 −5.1 WetJet commerciallyavailable floor sheet code 41764787420320 Control 2 91.6/0.5 87.4/0.73−4.2 Bona Microfiber commercially available floor sheet Item #AX0003053Invention  91.0/0.45 90.8/0.5  −0.2

Table 3 shows that he inventive cleaning article 10, even in presence ofmore rigorous testing with particulate soil on a newer floor material,minimized potential for surface damage relative to control samples.

Referring to FIG. 8, the Bona floor sheet and a floor sheet 10 accordingto the present invention were tested for 10 cycles each on theaforementioned RN 104577 Santos Mahogany engineered hardwood plankflooring. The flooring was divided into two halves, with each hald beingused for one sample. The flooring was cleaned with and initial glossrecorded. An solution of soil, oil and isopropyl alcohol was applied tothe flooring and air dried. Commercially available WetJet cleaningliquid, sold by the instant assigned was sprayed onto the test surface.

Each sample was tested with eight back and forth wipes in each directionto cover about 2.8 square meters, representing one cycle. After eachcycle, the test surface was measured for both filming, i.e. theappearance of haze, and for streaking. The process was repeated with thesame sample, until 10 cycles were completed.

FIG. 8 shows that the commercially available Bona microfiber sampleexhibited both streaking and hazing above the subjective visibledetection threshold. Both properties generally increased in theunfavorable direction throughout the test. In contrast, the cleaningarticle 10 according to the present invention advantageously exhibitedboth streaking and hazing well below the visible detection threshold [1on a unitless scale] throughout all 10 cycles.

The dimensions and values disclosed herein are not to be understood asbeing strictly limited to the exact numerical values recited. Instead,unless otherwise specified, each such dimension is intended to mean boththe recited value and a functionally equivalent range surrounding thatvalue. For example, a dimension disclosed as “40 mm” is intended to mean“about 40 mm.”

Every document cited herein, including any cross referenced or relatedpatent or application, is hereby incorporated herein by reference in itsentirety unless expressly excluded or otherwise limited. The citation ofany document is not an admission that it is prior art with respect toany invention disclosed or claimed herein or that it alone, or in anycombination with any other reference or references, teaches, suggests ordiscloses any such invention. Further, to the extent that any meaning ordefinition of a term in this document conflicts with any meaning ordefinition of the same term in a document incorporated by reference, themeaning or definition assigned to that term in this document shallgovern.

While particular embodiments of the present invention have beenillustrated and described, it would be obvious to those skilled in theart that various other changes and modifications can be made withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is thereforeintended to cover in the appended claims all such changes andmodifications that are within the scope of this invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A cleaning article for cleaning a target surface,said cleaning article comprising: a nonwoven sheet; an absorbent corejoined to said nonwoven sheet, said core having a core width; and ahydrophilic gather strip element having a gather strip element width andjoined to said nonwoven sheet at an elongate bond so that said core isdisposed between said nonwoven sheet and said gather strip element andsaid core is in face to face relationship with said nonwoven sheet andwith said gather strip element, wherein said gather strip elementcomprises at least four independent sheets, wherein each independentsheet is individually serpentine folded to have at least foursuperimposed layers, wherein each of said independent sheets that areserpentine folded are joined together at said bond, wherein said gatherstrip element width is greater than said core width.